Advert for the film "Cleopatra," playing at the Circle Theater, Portland (from the Aug. 25, 1918 issue of the Sunday Oregonian)

Theda Bara was the original "vamp," a silent movie actress who made more than 40 films, many of which are now lost. "Cleopatra" was released in October of 1917, and had been in theaters for more than ten months when this ad appeared. The film is now considered lost, with no prints surviving, only a few fragments. After the Hays Code came into effect in the 1930s, the film was declared too obscene to be exhibited. (Note that in 1918 the word "pretentious" did not always have a perjorative meaning!)

The Circle Theater held 650 people, and was located on the east side of 4th Street between Washington and Alder. For a photo of the theater, go to:

 http://portlandthenandnow.tumblr.com/post/51659147022/december-1963-the-circle-theater-and-other

According to THIS page, by the 1950s, the Circle Theater was a popular gay pickup spot, with the balcony basically divided in two, one side for hetero couples, the other side for gay men. (Where the lesbian couples sat is anyone's guess, apparently.)